UK Championship Qualifiers 2011 - Stephen Hendry's Reaction

Reaction and photos from seven-times world champion Stephen Hendry after his 6-2 over Gerard Greene in the recent UK Championship qualifiers at the South West Snooker Academy. Hendry was playing his first qualifying match for 22 years to reach the televised stages in York.

UK Championship Qualifiers 2011

What pressures were you feeling going in to your first qualifier for 22 years?

Different pressures, obviously self-inflicted. I was pleased with how I played; it was pretty solid but nothing sparkling. I made a fantastic break to go 5-2. It was probably one of the best breaks I have ever made because all the reds were in a safe position and thankfully I managed to scrape over the line in the last.

How Difficult to get your head around the fact that you had to play in the qualifiers?

It is hard, there’s no getting away from it. I am certainly not used to it and my main goal now is to get back into the 16 as soon as possible. The UK Championship is a massive competition, the second biggest ranking event of the season. I was due to do some work for the BBC but it was not the main reason I wanted to go there for, I want to go there as a competitor as well.

Would that have been really hard to be there and not play?

I am only due to do the last four days with the BBC anyway, but to actually have a tournament there and not be involved would of been bad. I am already out of the Masters so I am just pleased to be in the draw for the UK.

How do feel playing Stephen Maguire in the first round of the UK?

I am the qualifier now so I can't expect an easy draw when I get there; I have to expect to play the top players. Stephen knows what I am capable of, obviously I haven't produced it, but I am looking forward to it. I am delighted to have won this match and I can’t way to play.

Do you think it helped you playing in a proper arena with a crowd rather than a cubicle?

Possibly yeah. I have played in this venue three or four times and the match table seems to play not as good as the other tables. It was two sides of the coin really; happy being in the arena on one side and the other was the table being a bit heavy.

Steve (Davis) was saying his main thing going into the qualifiers his main thing was getting his attitude right and forgetting about the past, was it the same for you?

Yeah I just tried to concentrate on one ball at a time, one frame at a time and just try to give it as much concentration and effort as I could and it seemed to pay off.

Tickets for Stephen Hendry's match against Stephen Maguire have already sold out but many other sessions are still available for the UK Championship on the 3-11 December in York. To book tickets click here or call 0844 854 2757.